The present invention relates to an improved polymeric surgical clip which on application provides a latchless, or non-locking, tissue clamping action.
Surgical clips are devices which are used to effect the occlusion and/or ligation of tissue, e.g., blood vessels, during surgery for such purposes as minimizing blood loss and maintaining the surgical site relatively free of blood.
A variety of surgical clip constructions and materials suitable for their manufacture are known. In addition to metals, surgical clips have been fabricated from a variety of non-bioabsorbable and bioabsorbable polymers, for example, those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,418,694; 4,476,865; 4,492,232; 4,512,345; 4,527,562; 4,557,263; 4,590,937; 4,620,541; 4,638,804; 4,646,741; and, 4,741,337. Specific non-bioabsorbable polymers which are known to be useful for the manufacture of surgical clips are polyesters, polyamides, polycarbonates, polyvinyl chloride, polysulfones, and polypropylenes. Bioabsorbable polymers which have been described as useful for forming surgical clips include homopolymers and copolymers of lactide, glycolide, caprolactone and p-dioxanone.
In known types of surgical clips, e.g., those described in the aforementioned prior U.S. patents, application of the clips to tissue results in a latching or locking of opposed clip elements, specifically, "leg" or "arm" members, which clamp the tissue in a vise-like grip. This grip, if excessive, could result in tissue damage and even necrosis. A further disadvantage of known latching clips is the possibility that the tissue or vessel to be clipped is over-sized such that, when applied, the clip is unable to latch or lock. In such applications, a likelihood exists that the clip will not effectively occlude or ligate the tissue as intended.